


Let's have some fun!

by MudkipBrony



Category: Persona 2, Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Ball Pit, Children, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Multi, Multi-shipper on deck, Original Character(s), Pointless fun, oneshots, ships for days
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 7,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27664993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MudkipBrony/pseuds/MudkipBrony
Summary: Just a bunch of "Imagine your OTP prompts" I wanted to write about.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Niijima Makoto, Amagi Yukiko/Satonaka Chie, Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Aragaki Shinjiro/Yamagishi Fuuka, Hanamura Yosuke/Satonaka Chie, Ichijo Kou/Satonaka Chie, Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakura Futaba, Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist, Niijima Makoto/Sakamoto Ryuji, Niijima Makoto/Takamaki Ann, Niijima Makoto/Togo Hifumi, Satonaka Chie/Tatsumi Kanji, Serizawa Ulala/Suou Katsuya, Shirogane Naoto/Tatsumi Kanji
Comments: 1
Kudos: 45





	1. The Ball Pit (Makoto X Ann: P5)

**Author's Note:**

> There will be a lot of ships. So many ships. The tags will probably change due to how many dang ships there are. It's a lot. I mostly made this so I have something to write about when I'm not sure what to do with my Outlaw AU. Just a heads up, most of these are Persona ships but every now and then I'll sprinkle in some ships from other forms of media. Books, Movies, characters of my own creation. This is for fun! And it might be a good way to get in some practice or to just have something to write about.
> 
> And some of these 'chapters' will have to do with ship kids... which I am bad at naming. So I will borrow a name of a ship kid from another fic and then leave the link to that fic in the notes because they deserve more hits than I do.
> 
> For instance, this fic will have Airi and Miho who are the creations of Radiostarkiller. Who does have an Ao3 account, but these two cuties are never mentioned in any of their works. So I'll leave their Tumblr here instead, but you should follow their twitter of the same name.
> 
> https://radio-starkiller.tumblr.com/post/161931518655/married-with-kids

Prompt: Do not picture your OTP having a kid and losing said kid in a ball pit.

"How did we lose her so quickly?"

The two women stood side by side looking out to a sea of multicolored balls. Makoto Niijima, officer of the Tokyo Police Department... had just lost her daughter in the ball pit.

"She can't be far; we just have to go in and get her!" Ann Niijima, Makoto's wife and famous model/actress. She was holding the couple's younger daughter, Miho, in her arms. Miho, being too young to really understand what was going on, clutched her Buchimaru plushie and looked back and forth between her mothers.

"We'll be on a wild goose chase if we go in there." Makoto placed a hand under her chin. "We need to lure her out."

Anns eyes lit up, "We should get crepes!"

"Ann, this isn't the time for-"

"No listen! Airi, loves crepes. I'll go buy some!"

Before Makoto could even object, Ann was gone and Mihos little legs were on her shoulders. The child's tiny hands gripping onto her hair. And somehow the Buchimaru plushie ended up in her possession, ~~not that she minded~~.

"Airi," Makoto called out to the balls. She heard a child snickering and continued, "Get out of the ball pit."

"NEVER!" Airi shouted.

"I'm back!" As quickly as she left Ann returned with two crepes.

"Why do you have- should I bother finishing that sentence?"

Ann leaned in, whispering into Makoto's ear, "Get her attention."

Makoto sighed, "Ann, why do you have two crepes?"

A gasp came from the ball pit, Miho looked in whatever direction the sound came from while her mothers tried luring out her older sister. Ann held out a crepe for her wife to take. "Oh you know, just getting something for the love of my life."

"GROSS!" Shouted the child in the ball pit.

"AND!" Ann continued, "Something for my _good_ daughter."

Miho didn't really care, but that got Airi mad. "NO FAIR!" She stood up in the ball pit, shaking the balls off her. The young child ran, or tried to, over to the entrance of the ball pit and got out. "See? I'm good!"

"I'm not so sure, a good daughter wouldn't hide from her parents in a ball pit." Makoto explained.

"I won't hide again! Promise!"

"We'll see about that." Not that Makoto didn't trust her daughter, but the young blond had a habit of causing mischief.

Ann gripped Airis hand and the four of them walked away from the ball pit. "If you're good you can have some of my crepe. Ok?"

Airi's eyes had a mischievous glimmer to them. "Ok!"

"Ann you're spoiling her."

"How can I say no? She's adorable!"


	2. The Ball Pit (Chie X Kanji: P4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Do not picture your OTP having a kid and losing said kid in a ball pit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see you Chie x Kanji shippers.

Naoto only came to Junes for a few things. A quick errand. She wasn't expecting much, everything would be normal because today was a normal day in Inaba. Yet she hadn't expected to see Chie and Kanji throwing plastic balls everywhere.

Junes installed a ball pit a few months ago, and as much as Naoto wanted to go into said ball pit she restrained. A grown woman had no place in a ball pit amongst the toddlers and young children. Though as it seems that did not stop Chie from flinging those small plastic balls like she was an infuriated gorilla. While Kanji was an actual infuriated gorilla, she could hear him doing his best not to swear.

She wasn't sure how Chie and Kanji ended up together, her friend's romantic endeavors were none of her business. It was her belief that she would not meddle in her friend's romantic relationships unless she had a valid reason to. She was a bit skeptical when she first heard that Kanji and Chie had become romantically involved a year or so after their high school careers had ended. Naoto recalled Kanji admitting his feelings to her a few months prior to the new developments with their senpai. She told him her piece of mind; she wasn't looking for a romantic partner at that time. But she refused to let something like that end their friendship.

Now, over a decade later her friends were happily married and currently throwing all the balls out of the ball pit. Naoto approached the pit and cleared her throat and instantly the two stopped their shenanigans and looked her way. Kanji was about to speak but Chie beat him to the punch. "Naoto-kun! Can you help us find Shin?"

Ah yes, Shin-kun. Chie and Kanji's son. He was a good boy, despite his loud and admittedly draining personality. "Is he lost?"

"No, he's just in the ball pit," Kanji explained, "and he won't come out!"

"Ah, I see. Very well, I shall help you find your son."

Chie let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Naoto."

"Do not thank me yet, the boy is still eluding us," Naoto said as she got into the pit.

The detective adjusted her hat and stuck her hands into the balls. Shifting her hands around trying to latch onto something that was boy shaped. While she would never admit it aloud, it was a bit fun. Shoving the balls everywhere with no rhyme or reason as to why they had to be moved. They just simply had to be moved, and that was the gist of a ball pit.

Naoto looked up from her search, the three of them had unknowingly split the pit between the three of them. Her two friends were still throwing balls everywhere and the occasional ball would hit the others back. What was unnerving was the fact that neither of them stopped and thought that maybe a third party threw something at them. Naoto knew Chie and Kanji were many things, hotheaded was one of them. So, the fact that neither of them suddenly jumped to a conclusion really brought Naoto back to reality. She recontinued her search, trying not to fling balls everywhere like her friends were. Shin probably knew his parents were throwing the balls everywhere, leading him to hide on the side of the ball pit where the balls weren't being thrown. She had to be a silent as possible, start slow, find the prey. And once she found him, she would strike. An awful analogy to use at a time like this, but her mind wasn't focused on being a great poet at the moment.

Naoto thought she touched something leg shaped. But it scurried away, at least until-

"I got 'em!"

Naoto and Chie stopped their search and turned to Kanji who was holding Shin like a cat about to attack at any moment. His humungous hands under the boy's armpits and the boy in question flailing his arms and legs like crazy.

Naoto did not want to get near the boy when he was like this, not because she did not know how to handle children having tantrums. No. She feared that the boy inherited his mother's powerful, deadly, and very scary legs. She was brave, but not brave enough to risk being on the receiving end of a mini galactic punt.

So, she just stood on the sidelines as the boys' mother took him out of his father's hands and start scolding him about hiding in ball pits. A very silly reason to scold a child, but Shin _did_ hide from his parents. Naoto was no mother herself, but if she had a child and he or she or they went hiding in a ball pit when she wasn't looking, she would be mad too.

"I'll leave you two to your son. I'm glad we found- huh?" Did someone just throw something at her?

She turned around and there was one, very angry, Yosuke Hanamura.


	3. Narration (Naoto x Kanji: P4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naoto and Kanji are dating and Rise is always aww-ing at the lovebirds whenever they're so much as near each other.  
> And now Rise narrates their love life.

"Kanji leans closer, brushing a stray hair out of her-"

"Rise I am up to HERE WITH YOUR BULLSHIT!"

Whenever Naoto tries to be alone with Kanji, Rise always manages to find them. Every. Single. Time. No matter where they go, what they do, Rise is always there. Even today, right now. It was her fault, it was her idea to come to the Samegawa, a public place. She thought since it was raining no one would be there unless they had somewhere to go. But Rise...

"Don't mind me, keep going!"

"You ruined the atmosphere Rise-san."

Rise grinned in a way Naoto hoped to never see again. "Since when did you start caring about 'the atmosphere'? Trying to set up the perfect mood to suck Kanji's face?"

"Rise I swear to God!" Kanji cut in.

Kanji grabbed the detective's hand and lead her away from their friend. But Rise was practically stepping on their heels. "Kanji grabs Naoto's hand and rushes away to-"

"RISE!"


	4. The Ball Pit (Chie X Kou: P4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Do not picture your OTP having a kid and losing said kid in a ball pit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rarepair shippers, unite!

If you told Kou Ichijo two decades ago that he would have a son with his crush he would have asked if you needed to lie down. But life works in crazy ways. Life works even crazier when said crush (now wife) was shouting at Junes' ball pit.

"Touma! Get out of the ball pit or so help me-"

"I live here now! I am the ninja of balls!" Went the ball pit.

Their son, Touma, was obsessed with two things: Ninjas and balls. Kou couldn't be prouder. If this had happened six months ago, he could guarantee that Chie would be in that ball pit searching for her son. But that's what would have been six months ago. Kou glanced down at his wife's stomach and saw the bump there. Both of them knew she shouldn't go in the ball pit, mostly because she was five months pregnant.

Kou placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I'll go get him."

"No no no. I got this!"

"Chie you don't got this."

"Watch me!" The moment Chie raised her leg something hit her in the face. Was that a... "TOUMA!"

Oh no he did not. Kou got into the ball pit and started shuffling through the balls, searching for his son. "Get out here and apologize to your mother!" Kou wasn't an angry person, he wasn't. But when your son throws a plastic ball at your wife Kou could not let that one slide.

"Hehehe," went the ball pit, "I'm the ninja of balls! You're outmatched!"

 _Oh really? You're just a copy of me kid, you may love balls, but I loved them fi-_ Something bounced off the back of his head, another ball probably. Ok, enough playing around. This was getting ridiculous and people were starting to stare. Plus, Kou didn't want to look like a fool in front of his wife... again. Kou grabbed a handful of the colorful balls and stared to move around in the pit. If he kept moving his son wouldn't be able to hit him right? The ball pit wasn't that deep, it barely made it up to his knees. Still, Kou kept moving, he had to. He saw something in his peripheral view. Touma.

He saw the boy throw the ball at him, but he blocked it and threw a ball back. Touma dodged it. Touma had youth and endless energy on his side but Kou had experience. They did this dance for a few more minutes, at some point Chie left to get herself something to eat from the food court and came back a while later. _How long has it been, holy shit._

Finally, he managed to spot Touma as he was emerging from the balls, Kou took his shot and threw the ball at his son. Well, not throw. More like shoot it as if it were a basketball.

"Ow! Dad that hurt!" The ball hit him on the top of his head, and he stayed still enough for Kou to grab the boys' hand and lead him out of the ball pit.

Surprisingly, he didn't resist. In fact, he went willingly, almost dragging Kou out of the pit. Once they were out of the pit, Touma wiggled his way out of Kou's hand and hugged Chie's leg. Chie, whose anger had now died down, pat her sons head. "I'm still mad about the ball."

"I'm sorry... that was meant to hit dad."


	5. The Mug (Ulala x Katsuya: P2 EP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Someone drops their mug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one will have two parts because there were two endings to this prompt.

For some ungodly reason, Maya invited Katsuya to their apartment. So now Katsuya was there. At their home. Without Ulala being told beforehand. Well, he was here now, she couldn't just kick him out. And while she wouldn't admit it, she did want to see him.

"Do you want coffee or something?" Ulala asked him.

"Coffee, please."

Of course, as she was making coffee Maya retreated back into her room like a cavewoman.

But as Ulala grabbed a mug it slipped out of her hands and shattered on the floor. "Oh fuck me!"

"Well if you insist..."

She turned around to see Katsuya standing there. "I- what did you just say?"

Katsuya adjusted his glasses (though it didn't need adjusting) "Y-you heard me."

* * *

Alternative

Maya looked like hell, granted she did just wake up. Or Ulala forced her to get up to be exact. So Ulala took out a mug to make some coffee. But the damn thing slipped through her fingers and shattered on the floor.

"Fuck me," Ulala complained to herself.

"No thanks, that's Katsuya's job."

"MA-YA!"


	6. Don't wake me... (Chie x Yukiko/Chie x Yosuke: P4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: When you wake your significant other up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will have two parts because there are two endings to this prompt.

Chie was fast asleep, or at least she _was_. She was spending the night at Yukiko's. No one was the wiser, just two 'friends' having a sleepover. Just gals being pals. Besties doing what best friends did.

They were lesbians. No one besides Nanako knew about Chie and Yukiko's relationship. But that's a story for another time.

Chie ended up sleeping next to Yukiko. Well now laying because someone woke her up. "Chie, are you awake?"

Damn, Chie couldn't be mad at that. She rolled over so she was face to face with Yukiko. "Yeah."

And Yukiko kissed her girlfriend's nose.

* * *

Alternative

Yosuke and Chie have been dating for a while now. Sometimes Chie would break Yosuke into her house to watch one of her kung fu movies. Sometimes Yosuke would leave before it got too late. Sometimes he had to stay over, this was one of those times.

They ended up sleeping on the floor, with no pillows or anything. It sucked, he couldn't sleep. Chie, on the other hand, was dead to the world. He rolled over and gently nudged Chie's arm. "Are you awake?"

The girl violently flopped over. "What the hell do you want?"


	7. Fight me! (Chie x Kanji: P4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chie is tiny AND angry!

"Fight me, stupid Yosuke!"

The Investigation Team watched, in both amusement and disappointment, as Chie tried to get Yosuke to fight her in the middle of Junes.

No one was even attempting to stop Chie, except Yosuke who didn't want to get in trouble. So Kanji, despite wanting to see Yosuke get his ass kicked, stepped up to the plate. He didn't want to see his girlfriend banned from Junes.

"Stop telling everyone to fight you, look how small you are!"

Chie whirled around so she was facing the tall first year. "My height doesn't affect my ability to snap someone's neck in 97 different ways! INCLUDING YOURS!"

"You can't even reach my neck..."

"You wanna test me right now? Because I see one of those forbidden orange steps over there! DO NOT MAKE ME USE IT!"


	8. The Hiding Space (Shinjiro x Fuuka: P3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fuuka's hiding space.

It was chilly for late September. The dorm hadn't put the heat on yet, fair enough it was supposed to get warmer over the next few days.

"What are you doing Yamagishi?"

Fuuka was wrapping her arms around Shinjiro. "Hiding."

He was just sitting on one of the chairs when Fuuka invaded his personal space. "Do you mean hugging?"

"Did I stutter?" She said, then paused before coming back with, "This is my safe place. Now shush and put your arms around me."


	9. The Little Things (Yusuke x Futaba: P5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren gives good advice.

It was another rainy day in Tokyo. Ren was planning on hanging out with Yusuke and do some people watching. But the rain had led them to the Leblanc's attic. Futaba was there too, always one to annoy her Inari any chance he was around.

So the three (four but that was Morgana) of them sat around the attic. Ren pulling out some chairs only for Futaba to steal his bed. They talked, mostly either about art or video games, take a wild guess why.

"People should appreciate the little things," Ren said.

He was making a point about how art was everywhere. He was mostly talking out of his ass but he had the charm for it. But the conversation seemed to stop right there. Yusuke starting at him like he had said something mind-blowing.

The tall boy stood up suddenly and made his way over to Futaba. Ren couldn't see what he did, his back was to the hacker girl. But he heard, "Seriously Inari? I'm not that short!"


	10. The Best Joke (Akechi x Makoto: P5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi tells a joke.

"Makoto, do you want to hear a joke?"

The two were in Shibuya, coming back from a long day in Mementos. Not really in the mood for a joke Makoto humored him this once. "Sure."

"My life! Because my life is a joke!"

"Don't say that."

"Oh, that's disgusting swee-"

"It has to be funny to be a joke."


	11. Be Gone Self-Deprecating Thoughts! (Chie x Kou: P4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chie will protect everyone, in any way possible.

"So I was thinking if we put steak sauce on a salad... goes that mean there is steak in the salad?"

Yosuke was very confused and very bothered by Chie's thoughts. "No, that just means you put steak sauce on a salad."

"But it has the word steak in it!" Chie defended.

"It's a sauce put on steak! That doesn't mean there's steak in the sauce!"

"Pfft-" Yukiko, who was there listening to her friends argue, began to chuckle.

"Look what you did Yosuke!"

"Me? I didn't do this!"

"You were the one who-"

"What? I was the one who what?" Yosuke was getting annoyed by this stupid conversation.

Chie suddenly whipped her head around. "Kou needs to know how loved and cherished he is!" She said before running off.

All that was left was a stunned silent Yosuke and a giggling Yukiko. He heard other students whispering, great, another new rumor. "What the hell was that?" He asked Yukiko.

The girl managed to calm herself down before replying, "This happened last week too. Chie and I were walking Chosokabe when she gave me the leash and said 'Walk Muku, I need to tell Kou that he's important and amazing!' and then ran off."


	12. Language (Ulala x Katsuya: P2 EP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The way Ulala speaks gets on Katsuya's nerves.

"Who the fuck-"

"Language, Ulala."

The woman groaned and repeated, " _Whom_ the fuck?"

The man sighed, there was no winning with her.


	13. Tired (Makoto x Ryuji: P5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto is really tired for some reason.

After a long day of crawling through Okumura's palace, Makoto felt like her legs would give out. She walked with Ryuji and Ren back to the station. "I wasn't expecting today to be so tiring," she said.

"Y'know why you're so tired?" Ryuji asked, a grin growing on his face.

"You know why, we were just-"

"Because you've been running through my mind all day!" He said.

The three went silent, the sound of the train could be heard in the distance. Ren mentally laughed because he told Ryuji to say that. The train was getting closer and still no one said anything. Until Morgana poked out of Ren's bad. "Oh for God's sake!"


	14. The Ball Pit (Makoto x Ryuji: P5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Do not picture your OTP having a kid and losing said kid in a ball pit.

Makoto and Ryuji didn't have a child, well, not yet anyway. As much as Ryuji wanted a family, he understood that Makoto wanted to wait. But that didn't stop Ren from dumping his son onto the couple for the day. Now, Ryuji wasn't sure how... but he couldn't see anything. Well, he could see but it was just a burst of color everywhere. _Is this what Yusuke's always going on about?_ _What is this place?_

He heard children laughing and the sound of something shuffling, something hollow and plastic. He heard someone call his name, "Ryuji? Ryuji!"

"Makoto?"

"Can you stand up?"

Stand up? He couldn't feel anything below him! "No."

He heard more shuffling and the colors started shifting around. It was beautiful in a strange way. Until he saw the hand.

"What the eff?" The hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up into the light. For a moment he was blinded until his eyes adjusted and he saw Makoto's face.

"It's just me, did you see where he went?"

"Where who- oh right the kid."

As Ryuji tried to stand up, he just sunk deeper into the plastic balls. He reached for Makoto, but he accidently pulled her down with him. They could hear childish snickering from the entrance of the ball pit... that kid was going to be the end of them.


	15. Escalator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kou wakes up on an unknown escalator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to add random story idea's I came up with to this story. Because OTP prompts can only get you so far, if I truly want to improve and have some fun in the process, I think this is a good way to do it.

" **Please do not sit on the railing.** "

Kou awoke to an angelic voice... telling him to not sit on a railing? Opening his eyes and looking around he saw- "Why am I on an escalator?"

It was an escalator, a small one at that, only wide enough to fit Kou and _maybe_ a skinny person. Where was he going? How did he get here? What was this place? He hadn't been to a lot of cities, but he knew a city subway when he saw one. Why was he in the subway and why was he going to the surface? He leaned over the rail, trying to look past the guy in front of him but was just an endless escalator to nowhere. Or he was extremely far down.

"What is this place?" He wondered aloud.

"You come here often?" Asked a voice.

Kou turned around to see a girl about his age standing two steps below him. She wore a uniform of a school he didn't know and a hat that said 'Dank Memes' that covered her hair. "Who are you?" He asked.

"Diana," said the girl, "Who're you?"

"I'm Kou," he answered. The girl started snickering and Kou got confused, _what was so funny_.

"Kou? Weeaboo soundin' name," she said.

"I'm not a 'weeaboo' I'm Japanese," he told her.

The girl looked shocked and readjusted her hat. "You have a very good grasp of the English language."

"English? I'm speaking Japanese, so are you!" He attacked

"What? No, you're speaking English!" she counteracted, "unless we got put in a shitty fanfiction or si-fi novel where language barrier doesn't exist."

"That makes no sense- hey watch where you're going!" A man almost knocked Kou off the escalator while rushing up the escalator. A few other people got shoved, some shouted back at the man, one elderly man got knocked off the escalator and fell out of view. Diana hopped up onto the railing to which the angelic voice came back.

" **Please do not sit on the railing.** "

"Make me!" She shouted at the voice.

Nothing happened.

She folded her arms and smirked at Kou, like he was supposed to be impressed that she got away with breaking a rule. Kou turned to the man in front of him, he had a big red peacoat and long brown hair. "Excuse me, do you know where this escalator leads?" Kou didn't need to be told this man didn't want to talk to him, regardless of being a terrifying dude the holes, which were clearly bullet holes, scared Kou in a way he never thought was possible. "Never mind!" He told the man and quickly faced Diana, he heard the man grunt and some steps being taken.

"Welcome back," was all she said.

Kou folded his arms; he was still in his school uniform. _School uniform_. "Where are you from?"

"New Jersey."

"I don't know where that is?"

"None of your damn business."

"Alright jeez," he said then looked at the man four steps behind him, "Excuse me, do you know where we're going?"

The man adjusted the duffle bag on his shoulder. "Isn't this how we get to terminal 2?"

"Terminal... no, I don't think so?"

The man dropped his bag, his green eyes going wide. "Seriously? Darn I knew I should've waited at the entrance," the man muttered to himself.

Kou felt a little bad for this guy, maybe he could help him? "I'm Kou Ichijo, this is Diana. Who are you?"

"I'm Joseph Garret, but my friends call me-"

"Ok we don't need your life story," Diana butt in, "Where the fuck are we going?"

Just then a burst of light blinded them, _Could this day get any weirder?_ Slowly opening his eyes Kou saw a man with wings? _An angel?_

" **I told you to not sit on the railing.** "

He was a dark-skinned man with white angel robes. He stared at Diana with a look that said he was done with her shenanigans. "I'm just sitting," Diana argued.

" **Get off the railing before I send you to sheol.** "

"What the hell-"

" **Swear one more time girl, don't test my patients.** "

"Sh- dude what?"

Kou pulled on her purple sleeve, telling her to get off the railing. She groaned and complied, getting back on the step. The angel smiled and nodded his head.

" **You'll be in a better place soon enough.** "

And then he was gone.

" 'In a better place' " Joseph quoted, "What do you think he means?"

Kou racked his brain, 'in a better place' who says something like that? Well, the man had actual wings, like an angel. So that could mean- "Are we dead?"

"You didn't realize sooner?" Came the peacoat man.

Joseph squeaked like a kitten, "DEAD?"

Diana was oddly calm about this; she just adjusted her hat again and leaned on the railing. "Fu-"

 _How did I die? Did someone kill me? Was I... is my body hanging on a telephone pole right now?_ So many questions spun around Kou's head.

"How do you think you died? Mr. Scary man got shot." The peacoat man grunted. "I probably died of cancer. How did you die Kou?"

"How are you so calm about this?" He asked the girl.

For the first time, she took off her hat revealing black hair just barely growing back. "Shi- _stuff_ happens. Probably came back or something. So, how'd you idiots die? Probably something stupid?"

They looked at Joseph who was now going through his bag, pulling out clothes, books and... baby toys? "T-this is a joke, right? This is some messed up dream?"

"I... I don't know," was all Kou could respond.

_SMACK!_

Kou rubbed his cheek. "What was that for?"

"Ok so this is happening. Wait is this what it's like going to heaven? Dam- _darn_ wish I had my phone. This blows!"

This is heaven? Or _going_ to heaven at least. Going to heaven is a cramped escalator full of other dead people? Joseph was still going through his bag, like if he cleaned it that would bring him back to life. "What... who were the baby toys were?"

It was a dangerous question to ask, the man looked like he was about to cry. "My daughter, her birthday is in three days." The three of them stood silently, the escalator slowly moving them up towards heaven. The man continued to explain when he really shouldn't. "I was... on my way to visit her mother, my girlfriend. I g-guess I died on my way to the airport."

If he could Kou would shed a tear for the guy. He felt bad for that little girl, she would grow up without a dad like he had. At least she had a mother, unlike he did. Diana kneeled down to pick up a picture Joseph had dropped and showed it to him. It was a nice picture of a woman in a blue and white sweater with a satchel. "This your wife?"

"Girlfriend," Joseph corrected, snatching the picture from Diana's hands, "oh God I'll never get to-"

" **Welcome to Heaven!** "

That angelic voice was back. Joseph scrambled to put all the stuff back into his bag, muttering apologies to his girlfriend and daughter between the sobs. Diana put her hat back on, undaunted by what lie ahead. The peacoat man adjusted said peacoat and ran a hand through his hair. Kou... he didn't know what to think, he didn't know what to do. So many things he would never know or never get to do, never know if he was another murder victim, never get to tell his crush how he felt, never told his parents how much he loved them despite not being their blood. The end of the escalator was approaching, and Kou felt more terrified than at peace.


	16. Who did this? (Chie x Kou: P4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chie gets hurt and Kou is very concerned.

"W-what're you doing?"

Kou tilted Chie's chin up to get a better look at her face. There were marks of a fight, hell the black eye said enough. He delicately wiped away a drop of blood creeping its way off the side of her mouth. He knew that she would do stuff without a second thought, jumping into a fight to defend someone in need. But this? _This?_ It made his blood boil. The thought that someone would fight Chie and hurt her.

Kou looked at her dead in the eyes, it felt strange. All this time Chie would be the one initiating stuff like this, directing his attention to her and what she had to say. It was odd, to be in charge, but not a bad odd. Kou wished this discovery didn't come out like this.

The teenager could barely contain his anger, "Who did this to you?"


	17. Escalator: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto wakes up on an unknown escalator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be a mess; I'm warning you now.  
> Makoto x P5 Protagonist isn't my specialty.  
> Now that I think about it, Any Character x Protagonist isn't my specialty.

**"Please, do not sit on the railing."**

Makoto Niijima woke up to the feeling of falling backwards. She managed to regain her footing and grabbed onto the railing next to her. What was this place? And how did she get here? She looked around, trying to better understand her surroundings. By the looks of it she was on an escalator, like the ones in Shibuya. Was she coming out of Mementos and hit her head on something? The escalator was crowded, so much so that no one could get past the person in front of them.

"Can you move lady?" Came a gruff voice.

"No, wait like the rest of us," responded another voice.

It wasn't her business to pry, but Makoto had a feeling the longer these two fought the more insufferable this escalator would become. She turned around to see an older man three steps down arguing with a girl about her age who was one step down. "Excuse me," She tried to butt in.

But the two didn't hear her. "Look," said the man, "I need to catch the next train, or I'm stuck in this shit hole. Move."

"Since when was a modern city a shit hole? And this escalator isn't even for the trains, dumbass."

These two were beginning to remind her of Ryuji and Futaba. "Can you please stop the arguing?" She asked, louder than the first time she spoke.

But they refused to listen. "Listen here, you greaser-"

"How old are you? No one uses that slur anymore."

The man groaned in frustration and tried to force his way past the girl. But the girl was tall and well built, and she kept blocking the man from passing. With another groan the man shouted, "Eat shit and die kid!"

To which the girl replied. "Eat shit and live."

Suddenly there was a flash of bright light. "What the fuck? Who the hell are you?" Asked the gruff man.

Makoto couldn't see anything, but she heard a voice.

**"I fear you are on the wrong line. Let me assist you."**

"Let go of me you bastard!"

**"Do not worry, I will not harm you."**

The man's screams faded along with the bright light. Letting her eyes adjust Makoto stood there more confused than before. What just happened and where did that man go?

"Are you alright?" The girl asked.

Before Makoto hadn't really payed much attention but this girl was _tall_ , even though she was a step below her this girl still towered her by a few inches. She almost intimidated her. Almost. "Yes, I'm alright, thank you."

"Where is this escalator heading?"

If only she knew. "Shibuya, I believe."

"Shibuya!" the girl shouted, "how the hell did that happen?"

"Did you mean to get off somewhere else?"

"I wasn't even _on_ a train! Oh man, this multiple universe crap is bullshit!" She shouted some more, kicking the side of the escalator.

 _Multiple universe... does she know about the Metaverse?_ "Multiple universe?" Makoto questioned, hoping the girls rage will give her loose lips.

"Damn 'man-hole leads to other world full of demons' my ass! Never should've trusted Iruka, I told them not to! I told them he was batshit crazy! But do they listen? NO! Now I'm in, fuck what's the capital again? Tokyo? And they're off fighting some insane bastard with their damn pe-" she cut herself off, realizing she was talking aloud, "don't worry about it."

 _She didn't even try to cover that up. What was she going to say? Personas? Does she know what personas are?_ "Do you-"

"What the hell did I just say?"

"That's no way to talk to a possible peer."

The girl smirked, _smirked_. "Unlikely, all my peers know better than to ask me questions."

It was times like this Makoto wished she had social skills. What would Futaba say? Her level was too low? Maybe she should try a different approach, then flank her with the persona questions. "I'm Makoto Niijima," she introduced herself.

The girl looked confused but rolled with it. "I'm Hotaru."

"Just Hotaru?"

Hotaru nodded, adjusting the sleeve on her uniform. Was she always wearing a school uniform? It wasn't anything she recognized, and it was a boy's uniform. Definitely odd. "So, Niijima, this is Tokyo?"

"Yes, specifically Shibuya. Do you need help finding your way around?" She offered.

"Uhh yeah, never been to Tokyo before."

The conversation stopped. It came to a screeching halt for seemingly no reason. Neither of them said anything offensive, or Makoto hoped she didn't. Hotaru was definitely a character, she'll give her that. The two patiently waited to get to the top of the escalator but no matter how much time passed there never seemed to be an end. At this point it felt like she had been standing there for hours.

"I didn't know Tokyo had escalators that lasted this long," Hotaru said suddenly, "or is it just a Shibuya thing?"

"I don't think we're in Shibuya anymore..." _or if we were in Shibuya in the first place._

The taller girl leaned over the side of the railing and looked around before standing properly on the escalator again. "What the hell is this?" She growled.

**"You'll be in a better place soon enough."**

"The hell is that supposed to mean!" The girl shouted at the bodyless voice. But it did not respond.

 _In a better place? Are we...? No, it can't be._ "We might be..."

It took a moment for Hotaru to process what Makoto was suggesting. But once she realized it, she got angry. "Oh what the FUCK! I finally get my shit together and I up and die? Fucking Iruka and his melted damn brain! I swear, I'm going to kill him!" No. Makoto couldn't be dead, it wasn't possible! Was it? The last thing she remembered is being in Mementos and there was a powerful shadow and... "Woah calm down. Sorry, I didn't mean to get all screamy."

"What?"

"You're crying. Or am I not supposed to say anything?"

Makoto lifted a hand to her face. She's crying. Are they tears of sadness or tears of rage? How. Why. Strength. So many thoughts and not enough time to put them into sentences. "Where is this thing taking us?" She asked aloud.

She tried to hold back her sobs, sobs of her own death. Was that even possible? To be dead and to cry over the fact that you died? This could not be real. There was no way. "Hey," Hotaru said, catching Makoto's attention, "what year are you in?"

"Is now really the time for-"

"Don't think about all that sad stuff," Hotaru ordered, "tell me about yourself. Focus on me. I'm a third year, what about you?"

"I-I am a third year as well..."

Hotaru nodded and gave a soft smile. "Coincidence huh? A couple of third years dying on the same day? Wait. Forget I said that! Uh, what do teenagers talk about? You got a boyfriend?"

"What does this matter to you?"

"I'm not hitting on you, I'm already taken," she joked, "just imagine what he looks like. His face, what he wears, how he smells."

The moment she thought of Ren's face the whole picture came too. "Okay? Now what?"

"Describe him? No, imagine you're on a date or something. What would he do?"

"I don't understand?"

Hotaru grumbled something, threw her head back and sighed. "God this is embarrassing. Like my man, Katashi. I'd bet you 5000 yen he would be in the student council room waiting for his fellow student council members to leave. And when they'd finally get the hell out, he'd see the group chat and scold us for spamming him with messages while he was in a meeting." She chuckled and looked down at the endless abyss over the railing, "then he'd meet me at the park and he'd try to contain his innocent joy when all the cats come running up to him."

She looked back at Makoto and gave her a little 'go on' motion with her head. Where was she going with this? "Well... he'd take me somewhere I hadn't been before."

"Just 'he'? I spilled my guts about Katashi, and this mystery man doesn't have a name?"

Granted, Makoto didn't know who this 'Katashi' was, she didn't really know who Hotaru was either. If she did this would she be able to ask about personas? "Ren. If he wasn't taking me somewhere, we'd be at LeBlanc, and he'd made me coffee and curry."

"Dose he smell like coffee?"

"All the time. We would just sit there at the counter and talk, about everything really, and the coffee would fog up his glasses." She couldn't help but smile at the memories. Would they remain that way now? Only memories?

"Don't worry Niijima. You'll have a whole lifetime of coffee dates with this Ren guy."

"I don't understand-"

With a violent shove Makoto was thrown off the escalator into the abyss. Looking up at Hotaru's smiling face, waving down to the girl she just pushed.

* * *

"Queen?"

What was this?

"Queen!"

The phantom thief rolled over with a grunt and saw Joker right by her side.


	18. Everything is Permitted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Futaba offers Makoto a way to make some easy money.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not make this into a full work in the future. Let me know if you would read a full story about this.

It's been years since The Phantom Thieves disbanded, for good. The former thieves still kept in touch, texting, calling, meeting up. Of course, life got busy and things happened. Besides Ren, the group saw Makoto the least. College took up most of her time, and sometimes she would have to cancel plans because of it.

Until Futaba messaged her.

Alibaba: Queen.

_Why is she reverting to Alibaba?_

Queen: ~~Futaba?~~ What is it?

Alibaba: Yeah don't try typing names, they'll get cut out.

Alibaba: Anyway I need to talk to you.

Queen: What's so scandalous that you couldn't message me normally?

Alibaba: Just meet me at the old hideout tomorrow night.

Queen: I need a specific time.

Alibaba: Tomorrow.

Alibaba: Night.

When Makoto tried to text back the chat was gone. Futaba was lucky that she was free tomorrow night.

* * *

She let muscle memory guide her feet through the backstreets. It's been a while since Makoto had been in Yongen-Jaya, or to Leblanc. It was practically a sin. But as the faint smell of coffee caught her nose, memories came flooding back.

She turned a corner and there was Leblanc and a familiar girl with orange hair. "I thought we were meeting inside?" Makoto asked as she approached.

Futaba sprang up and trust one of those portable coffee cups into Makoto's hands. "You're late!"

"All you said was 'tomorrow night', that could mean any time."

"I thought you would be here earlier!" Futaba exclaimed. "Whatever, drink this and come on."

She followed the younger girl to the station. "What are you planning, Futaba?"

"You'll see when you get there! So drink up, you're gonna need it!"

Makoto was suspicious but chose to follow Futaba. Best it be her than Ann or Haru in case things got dangerous, at least that way she could effectively scold her afterwards. It wasn't a far walk to the station, so while they waited for the next train to come Makoto took a sip of the coffee she was given. _I missed this..._

* * *

"Why are we in Shinjuku?"

The two girls were wandering around the streets, the brightly lit signs giving their faces red hues. People passed, some drunk, others being tourists. Makoto still had no idea where Futaba could possibly be taking her.

"Relax we're almost there," Futaba said. She led Makoto down a dark alley and past a bunch of trash. Makoto was about to argue with the girl when Futaba turned to Makoto with a smile on her face. "We're here!"

It was... a door. A metal door with a single light hanging over it. This was starting to feel like a horror film, and Makoto shuttered at the mere thought. "Futaba..."

"Let me do the talking, just stand there and look mean! And when I talk to you just grunt like a gorilla!"

"Why-"

"Shh!" Futaba shushed then turned to the door and knocked like a madwoman. She just kept knocking until it cracked open, all Makoto could see was one eye and it was freaking her out. But Futaba just grinned and spoke to it. "Hey Lee!"

"Oh, hi."

"What?" Futaba looked at Makoto then back to 'Lee'. "Don't worry, she's with me."

"When you said you knew a 'queen' I expected more of a..."

"A drag queen? Yeah, no, I got a _real_ queen. Right?"

"I- er- ugh." She gave the best grunting gorilla sound she could muster and swore to god she heard Futaba stifle a giggle.

"See? A real queen of the concret jungle!"

"Alright." Was all Lee said. The door swung open, crashing loudly against the building wall, and Lee stepped out into the light. He was foreign, his skin gave it away. He looked like the coffee mixed with cream. "Go on in." Yet his Japanese was perfect.

"Come on Queen!" Futaba grabbed Makoto's sleeve and pulled her inside and down some dark stairs. She almost tripped over the smaller girl but managed to regain her balance, although as they descended the stairs the roar and cheers of people got louder. She hoped, nay, _prayed_ that this was just some hidden arcade that had games that weren't allowed in Japan. If this were what she thought it was then Futaba would have to be insane to bring her, Makoto, a criminal justice major, to a place like this.

They reached the end of the stairs Futaba opened another door that led to a... lockeroom? _Rows of lockers, benches in between said rows... yes this is a lockeroom._ "Futa-"

"Shh! Shut up!" Futaba's hands covered Makoto's mouth. "Here it's Oracle. And your Queen, so no real names down here!"

She ripped Futaba's hands off her face. "Fu... _Oracle_ what is this place?"

"I'll tell you everything if you put this on." Futaba opened a locker and tossed her a plastic bag.

"This is..." All that was in the bag was a sports bra and spats.

"Yeah, put it on."

"You're asking for a lot."

"Here I'll turn around." she turned around. "Happy?"

Makoto unrolled the spats to find a mask, just like the one she wore in the Metaverse. "What is the meaning of this."

"Oh my god Queen, just put on the stuff!"

"I'm not putting on anything unless you tell me what all this is," Makoto demanded.

With a loud childish groan Futaba turned back to face Makoto. "Fine! This is an underground gambling ring okay?"

"And what made you think that bringing me here would be a good idea?"

"Because! You practice Aikido, right? You used to be able to use it in the Metaverse, but it's gone now! So I thought this was the next best way to use all that power you have," Futaba explained, "plus we can make some easy money from it! Everybody wins!"

"No."

"Come on! Just one round! Everyone is going to bet against you because your new. So you beat the crap out of some famous guy, I collect the money, we bounce and split the winnings fifty-fifty. The only people who lose are the idiots who bet against you." Sometime during that explanation Futaba put on goggles that looked like her 'mask' all those few years ago.

"No. We could get arrested, not even a few thousand yen is worth that," Makoto warned her.

"No no no, I got a plan! If, _if_ , you ever want to come back for, I don't know, maybe you actually enjoy it-"

"Oracle."

"Right. If you do this and you hate it after, you can call the police. But I'm just saying, we could keep this going for years if we wanted to. Milk this place dry until you become a police officer then say you 'got a lead' about this place and boom! You just brought down an illegal gambling ring by yourself. You get a boost in your carrer, and we both make a crap ton of money."

_This plan doesn't sound half bad- no. This is still very illegal. But when we were Phantom Thieves we were criminals. Would this be that much different? Yes, it is, this is something you could actually get arrested for._

"Queen, you know I wouldn't put you in danger. Come on, remember? 'With my vision, I'll guide you all to victory'. Can't believe I ever needed to repeat that..."

"Fine. But only this once."

Futaba's eyes lit up behind the goggles. "Everything will go smoothly I promise!"

"What are the rules exactly?"

"There are no rules, except no killing the other person. Besides that? Everything is permitted."


	19. Drunken Choir (P5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the girls get drunk.

Everyone thought that when Ren left back to the country Haru would be depressed. So to Makoto, it was a pleasant surprise that her friend was doing fine. Great in fact.

But that didn't stop Haru from inviting the girls into her penthouse and getting drunk.

Makoto was always the responsible one. In the student council, in the Phantom Thieves, in her life. She kept her alcohol consumption to a minimum, for her friend's sake. But besides that, she was having a good time. Until Haru spoke up, "Ren broke up with me..."

Everyone took the news differently, she remained quiet while Futaba pulled out her laptop, and furiously started clacking away at the keys.

Sumire gasped, "Really?"

Ann slammed her hand on the table causing the bottles to shake. "That bastard!" 

Makoto had, and knew she had, no relationship advice. What would be the right thing to tell Haru? It would be difficult for the girl to move on, after all, Ren was the heart and soul of their group.

"I want to text him..."

And to Makoto's surprise (and gratitude) her friends all shouted the best advice they could give. "Don't fucking text your ex!"


	20. Let It Snow (Ryuji x Makoto: P5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In honor of the snowstorm that woke me up an hour before my alarm I decided to make this. Because I cannot go back to sleep after shoveling.

"Makoto."

"Ryuji?" a feminine voice said groggily, "go back to sleep."

The police officer snuggled back under the covers when it was suddenly ripped away from her. "Makoto. Psst. Makoto!"

Annoyed, cold, and tired, she looked at her husband. "What, Ryuji?"

The man in question had the look in his eye of a two-year-old. He smiled and simply said, "It's snowing."


End file.
